A. K. Bell Library

The building, situated on the western outskirts of the city centre, was originally commissioned as a hospital and was made possible by a gift of £1,000. The foundation stone was laid by Lord Kinnaird in 1836. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with eleven bays facing onto York Place with the end bays projected forward; the central section of three bays, which also projected forward, featured a large porte-cochère with a central niche flanked by two round headed windows. At roof level there was a dentilled cornice, a parapet and a stone decoration in the form of a scroll surmounted by a seashell. Following the implementation of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the joint…